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Summitry and Politics in Moscow

Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin proved again over the weekend that it is impossible to separate diplomacy from domestic politics, especially in an election year. In a series of stage-managed meetings in Moscow, the two Presidents nudged relations a bit closer, but left a queasy feeling they were both shaving differences to give the other a political assist.

Mr. Clinton's visit produced some accomplishments, particularly the commitment of the United States, Russia and six other nations to seek completion by September of a treaty banning all nuclear tests. Mr. Clinton deserves credit for championing this issue. The main obstacle to a treaty is now China, which did not attend the Moscow meeting and stubbornly insists on preserving its right to conduct "peaceful" nuclear explosions.

Mr. Clinton, Mr. Yeltsin and the leaders of Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada also agreed to share intelligence and take other steps to improve the coordination of international efforts to prevent the smuggling of nuclear materials. Mr. Yeltsin seemed to recognize that the security of Russian plutonium, enriched uranium and other bomb-making materials remains questionable. He promised that Russia would stop dumping nuclear waste in the ocean.

The leaders, however, settled for no change in Ukraine's belated plans for shutting down the Chernobyl nuclear power station by the year 2000. Two reactors similar to the one that exploded there 10 years ago still remain in operation at the same site, posing the threat of another catastrophe. Mr. Yeltsin rebuffed suggestions that Russia move more quickly to shut down its own Chernobyl-style reactors, which may be equally risky.

When the stage was left to Mr. Clinton and Mr. Yeltsin on Sunday, political self-interest was not to be denied, even though both men insisted that re-election was the last thing on their minds. Mr. Yeltsin, weakened by a heart ailment, obviously savored the summitry, taking every opportunity as host to remind Russians that he was a world leader on equal terms with Mr. Clinton, whom he frequently called his friend Bill.

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Mr. Clinton, while scrupulously avoiding any explicit endorsement of Mr. Yeltsin, made clear his regard for the Russian President. In the process he sacrificed a chance to criticize the Chechen war, which Mr. Yeltsin once again mistakenly declared to be at an end. Instead, Mr. Clinton rallied to Mr. Yeltsin's defense, offering a lame analogy to Abraham Lincoln's efforts to hold the United States together in the Civil War.

While the principles of national unity and territorial integrity seemed reasonable justifications when Russian forces first marched into Chechnya to suppress secessionist rebels 16 months ago, the brutality of the Russian assault has long since undermined those claims, even among Russians.

Mr. Clinton's meeting with other Russian politicians, including Gennadi Zyuganov, the Communist presidential candidate, was marred by the graceless exclusion of Mikhail Gorbachev. Mr. Gorbachev, a long-shot presidential candidate, was apparently left out because Mr. Yeltsin despises him. The White House betrayed a poor sense of history by slighting Mr. Gorbachev.

Mr. Clinton and Mr. Yeltsin have now held 10 meetings since Mr. Clinton became President in 1993, usually improving relations and reducing military threats each time they talked. They made some modest additions to that record over the weekend, but could not disguise their other purpose. It was to insure that they have the chance to get together again next year as second-term presidents.